Nick Kyrgios, battling a numb wrist and relying on painkillers, fought back tears after securing his first victory since 2022 at the Miami Open. This win, his first in nearly 895 days, sets up a clash with Karen Khachanov. Despite his emotional triumph, Kyrgios is pessimistic about his chances, stating, “Probably not. But I’ll give it a go.” Is this realism or a tactical mind game?

Nick Kyrgios vs Karen Khachanov: Preview

Nick Kyrgios‘ injury woes were seen in his previous tournaments as well. He entered this tournament following his mid-match walkover against the Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp in the first round of the Indian Wells. However, his 3-6,6-3,6-4 win over his “tricky” opponent Mackenzie McDonald (USA) might just lift his confidence before this match against the Russian.

Karen Khachanov hasn’t had the best of seasons so far. He has failed to make deep runs in each of his previous tournaments this year. Khachanov got a bye in the first round, so he’ll be entering this mega duel following his 3-6,5-7 defeat to America’s Ben Shelton in the R32 of the 2025 Indian Wells Open.

Kyrgios vs Khachanov: Head-to-Head

Nick Kyrgios has met Karen Khachanov thrice in his career so far and currently, he is trailing the Russian by 1-2.

• 2022 US Open QF: Khachanov 7-5,4-6,7-5,6(3)-7,6-4.
• 2020 Australian Open R32: Kyrgios 6-2,7-6(5),6(6)-7,6(7)-7,7-6(8).
• 2019 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati R32: Khachanov 6(3)-7,7-6(4),6-2.

Prediction: Khachanov will win this match in straight sets

Although Nick Kyrgios has reached the SF here two times (2016, 2017) in his career, I feel the 2023 semifinalist, Karen Khachanov, will start this match as the favorite. Reasons? I expect this to be a tough battle like the previous ones (if Kyrgios manages to hold on till the end overcoming all his injury concerns), however, on the hard courts, Khachanov is a real threat! His records at the 2023 AO (SF) and the 2022 US Open (SF) are a clear example of his potential on this surface. 

Khachanov (23) has played more number of matches this season and he has a win-loss record of 4-6. On the other hand, Kyrgios (892) currently has a win-loss record of just 1-3. So, there might be some rustiness in his game like we saw in the first set of the previous match. Can Nick Kyrgios showcase a similar resilience in this match as well? 

Now if we take a look at their playing styles, Kyrgios is known for his ultra-aggressive style of player. He loves pulling the trigger as early as possible and his game is usually very service-centric. For example, in his previous match, we saw him hammer 13 aces against McDonald! Kyrgios issues his serve to win free points as well as to set up his forehand, which he can hit flat as well as with topspin. Other than his powerful serves, he also has a destructive forehand and a pretty solid net game.

His excellent reflexes, along with extraordinary drop shots and underarm serves are some of the major components of his flamboyant tennis. However, Nick Kyrgios’ biggest weakness is his backhand. He is also not among the quickest movers on the court.

On the other side, Karen Khachanov is known for his powerful baseline game, strong serve, and relatively complete all-around game. He often looks to hit bigger and bigger with each shot in rally. So the longer the match goes, the greater his chances of bringing a favorable outcome from this match become. Khachanov’s game is based on the first stroke, off both the serve and the return. His backhand is considerably flatter and can penetrate through the court in all directions.

His lethal serve and big forehand shot are his biggest weapons, but his biggest weakness is his backhand and net play. Probably the former not as weak as Kyrgios’. Considering all these aspects of his game, I think it’ll be a bit challenging for Kyrgios to outclass this Russian in the second round.